Alexa Morris and Benjamin Parket, *The Courtyard: A Memoir.* Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam Publishers, 2025.

Send us Fan MailThis memoir about the Holocaust shows how people can be good even when faced with terrible evil. It's a powerful story of bravery and kindness. This book -- The Courtyard -- reminds us that even in the darkest times, a small group can really make a difference.In Nazi-occupied Paris, a Jewish family is kept safe by their working-class neighbors.It's 1937, just before World War II starts, and young Bernard lives with his Polish-immigrant family in a working-class courtyard in Paris. There aren't many other Jews around, but the Parkiets feel welcomed and at home in this lively place filled with interesting characters. For Bernard, the courtyard is both a home and a playground; a magical spot where he sees his dad varnish furniture, gets into trouble with grumpy neighbors, and shares pain au chocolat with his best friend Titi.When the Germans take over Paris, everything changes for Bernard. Just hours before the Nazis come to arrest the Parkiet family in July 1942, their neighbors come together to help them. The family hides in an empty warehouse, and the courtyard turns into a safe haven. With their lives turned upside down, it's up to nine-year-old Bernard to leave the courtyard every day to find food for his family. Even with the neighbors looking out for them, danger is everywhere – even in some parts of the courtyard itself.